Sports Poets Society

9 Aug 2026 - THE OBSERVER / Sport Legendary Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Phil Parkes has died aged 79. Parkes played for Wolves between 1960 and 1978 after joining as a schoolboy, making 382 appearances and helping the team reach the 1972 Uefa Cup final, where they lost to Tottenham. He then spent eight years playing in North America for Vancouver Whitecaps, Chicago Sting, San Jose Earthquakes, Oklahoma City Slickers and Toronto Blizzard before retiring in 1983. He was inducted into the Wolves hall of fame in 2023. “The thoughts and prayers are with Lofty’s loved ones at this sad time,” the club said in a statement.

Nuno Espirito Santo dimanche dernier,  lors d’Everton-West Ham (1-1) en Premier League. Le manager portugais, qui a commencé la saison avec Nottingham Forest et la poursuit avec West Ham, est devenu un personnage installé de la Premier League. "Je dirais qu’il est émotif.  Quand il est de bonne humeur ou  s’il y a un truc qui le tracasse,  ça se voit directement"     - ROMAIN SAÏSS, ANCIEN       DÉFENSEUR DE WOLVERHAMPTON 4 Oct 2025 - L'Équipe DAMIEN DEGORRE Qui se souvient que Nuno Espirito Santo était sur le banc du FC Porto, doublure de Vitor Baia, lors de la finale de Ligue des champions 2004 contre Monaco (3-0)? Lui, probablement. Jorge Mendes, son agent, dont il fut le tout premier joueur de l’écurie, également. Entre les deux, la relation a depuis débordé du cadre du travail. Guidé par cette amitié de plus de vingt ans, l’agent le plus influent du monde n’a jamais lâché son client historique devenu entraîneur. Wolverhampton s...

Les capitaines Robert Jonquet (Reims) et Miguel Munoz (Real Madrid) au  Parc des Princes  le 13 juin 1956 avant le coup d’envoi de la finale. Il y a soixante-dix ans, dans les salons de l’hôtel Ambassador à Paris, « L’Équipe » organisait la réunion de lancement de la Coupe d’Europe des clubs qu’elle venait d’inventer. Le monde du foot en a été changé à jamais. “La vie du football international exige d’être adaptée  sans tarder au rythme de cette époque et à ses progrès''    - JACQUES DE RYSWICK, ALORS PATRON DE LA RUBRIQUE       FOOTBALL DE « L’ÉQUIPE », DANS L’ÉDITION DU 16 DÉCEMBRE 1954 “C’est une chose bien touchante que d’assister à la naissance  d’un enfant qu’on a conçu et auquel sont donnés seize pères''    - JACQUES GODDET, FONDATEUR DE « L’ÉQUIPE »,       DANS L’ÉDITION DU 4 AVRIL 1955 Sous la pression, l’UEFA acceptera finalement d’assumer la charge de l’organisation de la Coupe d’Europe 4 Apr 2025...

https://www.indiscreto.info/2010/02/lultima-ruota-del-carr.html di Christian Giordano  © - Indiscreto © Rainbow Sports Books © Leggerino eppure instancabile suggeritore alle spalle delle punte, il pel di carota William McInanny Carr aveva nella naturale capacità di calcio il suo punto di forza. Gran tocco di palla e visione di gioco, unite a una spiccata propensione alla fatica, ne fanno un cardine di ogni centrocampo, eppure "Willie" passerà alla storia - e verrà per sempre ricordato - per una sua particolarissima punizione. E per il cambio di regolamento, con relativa abolizione, che ne seguì.  Scozzese di Glasgow (6 gennaio 1950), cresce al Kinning Park prima di trasferirsi coi genitori, tredicenne, a Cambridge ed essere scelto in un provino scolastico per la selezione inglese di categoria. Tesserato come praticante nel Coventry City, il “nuovo Alan Ball” (per il fisico minuto e la fulva chioma) debutta in Youth Cup segnando a Peter Shilton, 3-...

Wolves manager Kenny Jackett could name an unchanged side to face Birmingham in a Midlands derby to be screened live on Sky Sports 1 this Sunday afternoon. They will be missing  Mike Williamson (hamstring),  James Henry (hamstring),  Dave Edwards (broken foot),  Ethan Ebanks-Landell (broken foot),  Jordan Graham (knee),  Noucha Dicko (knee).  Ebanks-Landell, Graham and Dicko will not be available until next season. Birmingham manager Gary Rowett has no fresh injury concerns for the trip to Molineux, so h is expected to name an unchanged squad. On-loan Huddersfield striker James Vaughan (calf),  Nicolai Brock-Madsen (quad),  Neal Eardley (knee),   are all missing through injury with Eardley expected to return next season . Birmingham, currently 2 points behind the top six in the Sky Bet Championship having lost 2-0 at Blackburn last time out , will be looking to avenge a 2-0 defeat to Wolves at St Andrews last Oct...

Black Country (in italiano Territorio Nero) è un'area vagamente definita della conurbazione delle Midlands Occidentali inglesi, formata dalla parte nord ed ovest dell'area di Birmingham e dalla parte sud ed est dell'area di Wolverhampton. Dalla fine del XIX secolo, questa zona è diventata una delle aree più industrializzate della nazione. Le miniere di carbone di South Staffordshire, la lavorazione del carbone stesso, le fonderie di ferro e i centri siderurgici per la produzione di acciaio (che usano il carbone qui prodotto per le loro fornaci) producono un elevato livello di inquinamento che ha pochi eguali al mondo. Il concetto di "Black Country" è relativamente recente, dato che questa espressione non è stata rilevata prima del 1840. Si crede che l'area è stata così denominata a causa dell'inquinamento industriale che ricopre l'area di fuliggine nera. Esiste anche un aneddoto (di dubbia autenticità) sulla Regina Vittoria, che ordinava di abbass...

Blues striker Christophe Dugarry tangles with Wolves defender Jody Craddock during a 1-1 Molineux draw in November 2003   http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/29555464   Sky Bet Championship: Wolves v Birmingham CityVenue:MolineuxDate:Saturday, 1 NovemberKick-off:12:15 GMTCoverage:Live commentary on BBC WM and BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, live text commentary on BBC Sport, BBC Birmingham & Black Country and BBC WM websites When it comes to West Midlands derby matches, there's plenty of needle to be found on the park whenever any of the area's big four sides play each other. The Second City derby, Aston Villa v Birmingham City, is more than matched in competitiveness and intensity by the Black Country derby, between Wolves and West Bromwich Albion. And, from Witton to West Bromwich, supporters of a certain age, given the greater number of top-flight meetings between the two clubs down the years, will still maintain that Villa v Albion is the biggest of them all. Bu...

15 - TOMMY ROWE MIDFIELDER Nationality: English DOB: 24/09/1988 Height: 5'11" (180 cm) Weight: 12st 11lbs (81 kg)  Position: Mid/Def Former club: Peterborough (5 yrs) Schoolboy terms: Man Utd Versatile midfielder/defender Tommy Rowe joined Wolves in the summer of 2014 after a successful 5 years at Peterborough came to an end. Rowe started out on schoolboy terms with Manchester United before joining Stockport County , helping the team to promotion and winning a Young Player of the Year award before joining Peterborough in May, 2009. He scored in the 2010/11 play-off final win over Huddersfield at Old Trafford which took Posh into the Championship, and was a mainstay in the team in the subsequent 2 Championship seasons, including scoring at Molineux in a 3-0 victory against Wolves. Rowe, who has been Peterborough’s captain for the last 2 seasons, made 43 appearances during the 2013/14 campaign which saw Peterborough reach the play-offs before being beaten...

48 - BRIGHT ENOBAKHARE STRIKER Nationality: Nigerian DOB: Height: Weight: st lbs (kg) Nigerian-born striker with both power and skill, joined Wolves Academy at the start of the 2014/15 season and made an impressive impact.  Having first moved to England at the age of 15, Bright’s form in his first season at Wolves saw him land his first professional contract before heading off for the summer.  Returned for pre-season ahead of 2015/16 with a similar positive effect, going on tour with the first team to Clairefontaine and scoring the winning goal in a friendly against FC Chambly .

7 - JAMES HENRY MIDFIELDER Nationality: English DOB: 10/06/1989 Height: 6'0" (182 cm) Weight: 12st 2lbs (77.3 kg) James Henry arrived at Wolves on a 3-month loan in September, 2013. The winger made the temporary switch from Millwall, under whom he made an impressive impact having enjoyed 2 previous loans with the Lions. His tally of goals for Millwall prior to moving to Wolves including some spectacular efforts from distance, as well as a hat trick against Tranmere. Henry started his career with Reading having come through the Academy and also enjoyed loan spells with Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Norwich prior to joining Millwall. Having credited Kenny Jackett with helping him produce the best football of his career whilst at Millwall, Henry was delighted to link up again with Wolves’ Head Coach and made an impressive debut in a 3-0 win at Colchester. The initial loan spell was ultimately turned into a permanent deal , and Henry's impressive i...

27 - MICHAL ZYRO MIDFIELDER Nationality: Polish DOB: 20/09/1992 Height: Weight: st lbs ( kg) Michal Zyro joined Wolves in the January transfer window of 2016. The striker/winger signed a 3-and-a-half year contract to move from Legia Warsaw for an undisclosed fee. Zyro came through the youth ranks of the top Polish side, and moved to Molineux ahead of his contract expiring in the summer of 2016. Zyro, who has 4 international caps to his name, has been highly thought of in Poland and was part of the Legia Warsaw squad which won both the Polish League and Cup in recent seasons. He also made an impressive start to his Wolves career, scoring 3 goals in his first 3 games before picking up an unfortunate calf injury.

4 - DAVE EDWARDS MIDFIELDER Nationality: Welsh DOB: 03/02/1986 Height: 6'0" (183 cm) Weight: 12st 5lbs (78.3 kg)   David Edwards joined Wolves from Luton in the January 2008 transfer window for an undisclosed fee. He signed a 2-and-a-half year contract and made his debut at Scunthorpe. He could not have hoped for a better start, scoring for his new club after just five minutes in the 2-0 win. The midfielder started his career at Shrewsbury Town where he made over 100 appearances before moving to Kenilworth Road in the summer of 2007. After a good initial impact Edwards was also a key figure during the promotion-winning 2008/09 campaign, featuring in 44 of the 46 league fixtures and scoring three goals. That helped secure a new 3-year contract in the summer of 2009. Edwards has been capped at senior level for Wales, where he has also found the net on several occasions. He emerged as a key figure during the first half of the 2009/10 Premier League campaign, holding d...

35 - CONNOR HUNTE MIDFIELDER/WINGER Nationality: English DOB: 12/09/1996 Height: Weight: st lbs ( kg) A skilful winger who came through Chelsea’s Academy after being scouted whilst with Sutton United . Previously represented Chelsea in the Next Generation Cup, taking on the likes of Barcelona ‘B’.  A regular with England both at Under-16 level, when winning the Victory Shield, and Under-17s

29 - ADAM LE FONDRE STRIKER Nationality: English DOB: 02/12/1986 Height: 5'10" (177 cm) Weight: 11st 7lbs (73 kg) Prolific striker Adam Le Fondre joined Wolves from Cardiff City on a season-long loan at the start of the 2015/16 season.  There is also an option within the deal for Wolves to make it permanent.  Le Fondre boasts an impressive goals to games ratio throughout his career, notching 172 from 298 starts and 144 appearances as a substitute prior to joining Wolves.  He started his career with home town club Stockport County before joining Rochdale and then Rotherham . It was in August, 2011, that he made what was then a step up in level from Rotherham to Reading , scoring 12 goals as the Royals secured promotion to the Barclays Premier League.  He then scored 14 times in the top flight in the 2012/13 campaign, including goals against Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.  He was also named the Premier League Player of the Month ...

28 - SYLVAIN DESLANDES DEFENDER Nationality: French DOB: Height: Weight: st lbs ( kg) Joined Wolves in July, 2015, after his contract with SM Caen expired. And was quickly back close to home soil when joining the first team for the pre-season training camp at Clairefontaine. A pacey left footed defender who can either play at full back or in the centre of the back-line. Expected to figure strongly for the Under-21 squad during the current season.

26 - DAMIAN MARTINEZ GOALKEEPER Nationality: Argentinian DOB: 02/09/1992 Height: 6'4" (193 cm) Weight: 13st 5lbs (85 kg) Emiliano Martinez – Emi for short – joined Wolves on a season-long loan from Arsenal at the start of the 2015/16 campaign, making his debut in the Capital One Cup victory over Newport County AFC. Martinez joined Arsenal from Independiente in 2010 and has appeared for both the Argentinian under-17 and Under-20 sides. He has made eight appearances for the Gunners in total, the first of which came in a League Cup tie with Coventry in 2012. Those appearances also include two in the Champions League, victories away to Anderlecht and at home to Borussia Dortmund in the first half of last season. To date Martinez has enjoyed three different loan spells while with Arsenal. His debut in English football came for Oxford United in League Two at the end of the 2011/12 season. In the 2013/14 campaign he made 15 appearances for Sheffield Wed...

Kenny Jackett   Head Coach  As a player, Kenny Jackett was the archetypal one-club man, displaying a loyalty which has remained throughout his footballing career by making 337 league appearances for his home town club Watford , scoring 25 goals. He was a key part of the Hornets side which finished runners-up in the top flight in the 1982/83 season and appeared in the defeat to Everton in the 1984 FA Cup Final. Jackett also picked up 31 caps for Wales. A knee injury brought an early end to his career at the age of 28 in 1990 , but he remained with Watford in coaching roles , going on to be both Head Coach and assistant manager to Graham Taylor. As assistant to Taylor, Jackett helped mastermind 2 successive promotions up to the Barclays Premier League in the 1999/2000 campaign. After leaving Watford at the end of the 2000/01 season, Jackett worked as assistant to Ian Holloway at Queen’s Park Rangers, again playing a part in a promotion, this time from League One. ...

19 - JACK PRICE MIDFIELDER Nationality: English DOB: 19/12/1992 Height: 5'7" (170.5 cm) Weight: 11st 3lbs (71.2 kg)   Born in Shrewsbury, midfielder Jack Price came through the Wolves Academy to turn professional and has made an impressive impact at reserve and Under-21 team levels. He made his first appearance in the matchday squad as an unused substitute at Norwich in the final stages of the 2011/12 Premier League campaign. As Wolves returned for pre-season ahead of the 2013/14 season, Price was heavily involved in the first team scene as he aims to be part of Kenny Jackett’s new squad , and made his full debut in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy clash with Walsall. It was to prove an impressive breakthrough season for Price, winning rave reviews for his midfield performances and picking up a League One winners' medal at the end. Loan spells with Yeovil and Leyton Orient took Price away from Wolves for the first half of the 2014/15 season, but, with the team struggli...

30 - KORTNEY HAUSE DEFENDER Nationality: English DOB: 16/07/1995 Height: Weight: st lbs ( kg) Highly-rated young central defender Kortney Hause joined Wolves from Wycombe Wanderers , in January 2014. The 18-year-old left sided centre back made his first team breakthrough in the 2012/13 season with the Chairboys and had already chalked up 31 appearances, and scored 2 goals. Hause signed a 2-and-a-half year contract after joining Wolves, and, after impressing at Under-21 level during his first few months at Molineux , was included in the touring party for the 2014 pre-season trip to Ireland. The start of the 2014/15 season saw Hause continue his football development with an impressive loan spell with Gillingham , so much so that he was recalled by Wolves Head Coach Kenny Jackett to enjoy his senior bow at Molineux's club. Used as left back rather than his more natural centre back position , Hause made 17 appearances as he announced himself on Wolves’ first team scene. His reg...

10 - JOE MASON STRIKER Nationality: Irish DOB: 13/05/1991 Height: 5'10" (177.8 cm) Weight: 11st 7lbs (73 kg) Striker Joe Mason joined Wolves from Cardiff in the January transfer window of 2016. He signed a 3-and-a-half year contract after moving for an undisclosed fee. Born in Plymouth, Mason began his career with the Pilgrims, before joining Cardiff in July, 2011. After 2 Championship seasons with Cardiff , where he scored 18 goals, Mason made the first of 3 loan moves to Bolton Wanderers. During those spells he scored 10 goals from 21 starts and a further 9 substitutes appearances. He made a fine start to the 2015/16 campaign with Cardiff with 5 goals from the opening 10 games, and was a regular in the side prior to making the move, starting in both games in which the Bluebirds beaten Wolves. His most famous goal for Cardiff was the one at Wembley as he opened the scoring in front of almost 90,000 in the 2012 Capital One Cup Final against Liverpool. Mason qualifies...